Automatically tightened seatbelt
First Claim
1. An improved safety seatbelt of the type securing a wearer in a vehicle seat by anchoring either end to fixed structure on either side of said seat to extend across the body of said wearer, said belt improvement comprising:
- detector means for detecting a collision of said vehicle of a predetermined severity;
means for causing endwise contraction of at least one section of said belt to thereby shorten said belt in response to detection of a collision of said vehicle of said predetermined severity, whereby said belt can be worn loosely and automatically tightened in the event of a severe collision.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A safety seatbelt which is designed to be worn slack and which is automatically tightened by expansion of a woven retraction tube disposed within a cover tube acting as the seatbelt. The retraction tube has a weave that causes considerable shortening (minimum 50% of length) when expanded and is attached to the cover tube to cause a corresponding section of a flexible lengthwise contraction of the cover tube and thereby shorten the belt. A self-contained gas generator and collision sensor in a belt latch piece socket direct a gas into a bladder tube within the retraction tube to expand the retraction tube and shorten the belt when a collision of a predetermined severity occurs and thereby cause the belt to be tightened.
50 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An improved safety seatbelt of the type securing a wearer in a vehicle seat by anchoring either end to fixed structure on either side of said seat to extend across the body of said wearer, said belt improvement comprising:
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detector means for detecting a collision of said vehicle of a predetermined severity; means for causing endwise contraction of at least one section of said belt to thereby shorten said belt in response to detection of a collision of said vehicle of said predetermined severity, whereby said belt can be worn loosely and automatically tightened in the event of a severe collision. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification